


The Fight

by lezgoisay



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Adolescent Sexuality, Ficlet, M/M, Name-Calling, Non-Graphic Violence, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pre-World War II Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Puberty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-08
Packaged: 2018-09-07 06:21:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8786929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lezgoisay/pseuds/lezgoisay
Summary: Steve versus Bucky versus Squirrels. And then, Bucky versus his desire to kiss Steve.





	

Even when Bucky was a kid on the streets of Brooklyn, he liked to be up high, off the ground, somewhere with a vantage point. If there were a tree nearby, he'd climb it. If he found himself by a fire escape, he'd be up it. A fence? There he'd be on top. He was a climber alright. Plus he also had amazing hand-eye coordination. Great aim, the best! No one could beat him at marbles or any other game requiring precision aim. He was deadly in a snowball fight too.

But it wasn't until he got a slingshot for his 13th birthday that Bucky became a public menace. Once he mastered it, no guy's hat was safe on his head anymore. Street signs around the neighborhood began to have mysterious dents in them. And it seemed like glass from broken soda bottles was scattered everywhere in the back alleys.

Bucky's arch-enemies, though, were squirrels. There he'd be, minding his own business, getting in a bit of slingshot practice in Prospect Park, and suddenly every squirrel within a two block radius would be chittering at him from the trees, scolding him for daring to set foot in their territory. Well, a fella couldn't let that challenge pass. Up the tree he'd go, slingshot in hand. All those squirrels soon found themselves under a barrage attack.

Until the day, that is, when his best pal Steve, newly recovered from yet another bout of illness, was well enough to tag along to the park. One minute he and Bucky were walking side by side, yapping about nothing in particular, and the next minute Bucky was nowhere to be seen. Then Steve looked up and saw him, legs dangling from a tree branch, his slingshot a blur as he fired off round after round of stones at some furious squirrels.

"Buck, what are you doing? You're gonna hurt those squirrels!"

Bucky didn't bother to answer until a lull occurred in the battle. "Didja see that, Stevie? I hit that gray one right in the ass!"

"You get down here, Bucky! Quit shooting at them, you big bully!"

"Oh, don't piss yourself, Steve -- they're just squirrels, for God's sake. I'm not even using big stones, just little ones to scare them off."

By this time Steve's scowl was dark as pitch and he was laying his tongue to every swear word that was in his limited vocabulary of profanity, not even caring how long he'd have to spend in the confessional because of it. He started to climb up the tree as well, but the task required an athleticism he did not possess. Steve had to drop back to the ground in defeat. Bucky shot off a few more stones at the retreating squirrels and then dropped down gracefully beside him, a big smirk on his mug. "That showed them who's boss," Bucky said.

He wasn't expecting Steve's fist to his face. Who knew that skinny brat had such a mean right hook? Guess all the fights he'd lost had taught Steve something after all, Bucky thought as he gingerly touched his swelling cheekbone.

"Those squirrels can't defend themselves in a fair fight against you and your slingshot! What if they have baby squirrels in nests somewhere, waiting for their parents to come back and feed them? How are they gonna survive if you kill their moms and dads?"

All this was delivered amidst a flurry of flailing arms and legs as Steve launched himself at his bigger friend. Bucky fended him off at first, waiting for Steve's temper to cool down, but when it didn't, Bucky simply tackled him in a big bear hug and easily brought him to the ground.

"Jeez, Steve, what the hell do you think you are -- a squirrel avenger or something?"

The impact of his back hitting the earth knocked the wind out of Steve and shut him up temporarily. He struggled as best he could against Bucky's heavier bulk on top of him, but the older boy had him pretty well pinned.

"Get offa me, you big lug!"

Bucky just laughed, until he realized that Steve still had enough free movement to pinch him hard in the ribs. "OW, you little punk, stop that!"

Bucky tightened his grip and shifted his weight more firmly on top of his friend. Steve's struggling began to lessen and started to become more half-hearted. Bucky smiled down at him in triumph. But then things took an odd turn. All of a sudden Steve wasn't meeting his eyes anymore. He turned his head so he was looking off to the side, a pink blush slowly spreading over his cheeks, ears and neck.

For some reason, Bucky's breathing started to get shallow and his throat got a little dry. He licked his lips and then, out of nowhere, thought about last week when he had kissed Mary-Theresa behind the bookshelves at the library. It occurred to Bucky that he'd like to kiss Steve's pouty little mouth too.

Bucky reared back on his knees like he'd been caught red-handed doing something he shouldn't and leaped to his feet. He swallowed hard and paced around for awhile. Bucky looked scared and guilty but finally shook his head and seemed to collect himself somewhat. He looked over at Steve who was now sitting up but still studiously avoiding eye contact. Oh, this won't do at all, Bucky thought. We need to get back to how things were before.

Taking the slingshot out of his back pocket, Bucky threw it on the ground next to Steve.

"I don't ever want to be a bully in your eyes, Stevie. You're my best friend and I'd do anything for you. So my squirrel fighting days are through, I promise. I don't ever want you to think I'm a jerk."

"But I call you that all the time, jerk."

"Yeah, but I know you don't mean it, punk."

Steve looked at him at last. Then he smiled -- the most beautiful smile in the world, Bucky realized with a start -- and stuck out his hand for Bucky to help him up. They playfully punched each other and rough-housed a bit in the way adolescent boys do. Finally, laughing, off they went home, everything back to usual, pals again like before.

But not entirely like before, of course. Something subtle, or perhaps not so subtle, had changed between them. From then on, their eyes started to linger on each other in a new and unfamiliar way.


End file.
